By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-19 10:35:23 | Updated at 2024-11-19 12:45:29
2 hours ago
Terrified riders were trapped on a rollercoaster at a major California theme park for three hours after it broke down mid-cycle.
The Sol Spin ride at Knott's Berry Farm was brought to a screeching halt at around 2pm on Monday, with thrillseekers being left to dangle until the were evacuated at 4:30pm.
A total of 22 people were stuck in mid-air. While some were left on their side, no one was left upside down.
Footage from ABC7 news choppers showed technical crew from the 102-year-old theme park being lifted in cranes to repair the broken ride at around 3:30pm.
Two female riders were taken to hospital 'out of an abundance of caution', a spokesperson told the LA Times.
KTLA reported that several people were seen limping away, while at least one was seen being carried out in a wheelchair.
The Sol Spin ride is made up of six swinging arms that go as high as six stories, and rotate 360 degrees.
According to local media, it opened in 2017 and was made by the Dutch company Mondial Rides.
The Sol Spin ride at Knott's Berry Farm was brought to a screeching halt at around 2pm on Monday
A total of 22 riders were stuck on Sol Spin
Eventually, everyone was evacuated - though two women were hospitalised
Knott's Berry Farm says on its website that the 'thrilling ride is one for the brave.'
It comes just months after a man claimed in a lawsuit to have suffered a horrific spinal injury that left him quadriplegic after he got on his 'first roller coaster ride' at a well-known South Carolina amusement park.
Kul Sannyashi rode the 'Swamp Fox' coaster at Family Kingdom Amusement Park in Myrtle Beach in July 2021, when the alleged incident took place.
His wife, Gangia Adhikari, filed a lawsuit against the 'biggest seaside amusement park' on Thursday, suing for negligence and ultra hazardous activity. She is seeking unspecified financial damages.
Sannyashi, who also filed a lawsuit against the park, rode the 2,640-foot coaster that can reach a maximum speed of 75mph. He sustained 'an acute injury to his spinal cord' that made him quadriplegic, the lawsuit said.
The Swamp Fox, originally known as the 'Red Devil,' started running May 1966, and is one of the few wooden roller coasters left in the US.
